COOK, Apostolic Vicariate of the Islands. - The evangelization of the Cook Islands began in 1894 through the work of the Picpus Fathers, hindered by the Protestants, who had settled there since 1821. The first church was blessed in Avarua on 25 Dec. 1896.

The mission remained interrupted during the world war of 1914-18. Until 1922 the Cook Islands were part of the apostolic vicariate of the Tahiti Islands, from which they were detached on 27 Nov. of that year to form the apostolic prefecture of the Cook and Manihiki Islands, which on 11 Aug. 1926 took its current name and on 12 Feb. 1948 was elevated to an apostolic vicariate.

Out of a population of about 15,000 inhabitants, Catholics number 1,377, catechumens 28, and the others almost all Protestants. There are 21 catechists. The primary stations number 9, the secondary 6. In the 6 elementary schools 425 pupils are educated. The periodical Torea is printed there with 500 copies. Even in those islands communism is stirring. After the last war emigration toward New Zealand causes the loss of many Catholics.

Bibliography4 works

BIBL.: GM, p. 345; MC, pp. 161-62; Arch. di Prop. Fide, Prospectus status missioni, pos. prot. n. 419748; AAS, 40 (1948), pp. 355-56.

Saverio Paventi

@incollection{ec4_cook_vicariato_apostolico_dell, author = {Paventi, Saverio}, title = {Cook, vicariato apostolico delle isole}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {IV}, pages = {496}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1950}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/cook-vicariato-apostolico-delle-isole} }

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Cook, Apostolic Vicariate of the Islands

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